Combination or permutation lock



MarcB 11, 1924;

. 1,486,846 A. VALENTE COMBINATION OR PERMUTATiON LOCK Original Filed June Fltii '1 FIG 2.

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' INVENTOR: 4Q flmazwlm Viziente,

I BY gTToRNEi/ s Patented Mar.11,1924. lfidtfldti NEIED STAIE PATENT ALESSANDRO VALENTE, OF LONDON, ENG-LAND.

COMBINATION OR PERMUTATION LOCK.

Application filed .Tune 8, 1922, Serial No. 566,799. Renewed July 12, 1923. To all whom it may concem:

Be it known that I, ALEssANDno VALENTE, a subject of the King of Italy, residing at London, England, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in and Relating to Combination or Permutation Locks, of I which the following is a specification.

The present invention relates to improvements in and relating to combination or permutation locks and aims to notably promote the security of such locks, and particularly those of the keyless portable or padlock type, or suited for use with portable articles.

ore particularly the present invention, constitutes an improvement in the type of lock shown in my pending application filed February 25, 1921, Serial No. 447,759, the improvements including means wherein the releasing movement of a locking member can only be effected to open the look when a series of movable members or tumblers are arranged in the concerted order for which the lock has been set and the locking member gravity actuated by tilting of the lock, the mechanism being so enclosed as to be incapable of any feeling manipulation to discover the setting.

' To further increase the difficulty of finding the combination false notches may be provided in old and well known manner in the tumblers, and, or, otherwise the true -notches instead of being sharp-edged may be somewhat bevelled in order to mislead and confuse. 1

In the simple form hereinafter described, the locking member is directly gravity actuated when turned vertically or substantially so by bringing the look into the corresponding position.

It is immaterial for the purpose of the present invention whether the lock is constructed for setting on a concerted order of letters or numbers or other signs marked on the movable members or tumblers or related parts, or on a combination of numbers only indicated by the sense of feeling or hearing, or corresponding to some other control, for example a key.

The present invention being however particularly applicable to keyless portable locks such as of the padlock type, a simple constructional form of keyless padlock under the present invention will now be described, with the aid of the accompanying drawings, which combines in a high degree the four principal requisites of a good look, viz, se-

curity, simplicity, strength and durability, but which is not to be regarded as confinin the present invention to the specific look.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view.

Fig. 2 is a transverse sectional view taken on the line A-A of Fig. 1 and' looking in the direction of the arrow B.

A look or frame component of oblong shape is provided with a series of transverse clefts 2, 2, etc., for the reception of a series of parallel rotating tumblers 3, 3, etc. These tumblers are centrally perforated and provided with notches or key-ways to permit the passage of a locking bolt a provided with projecting or feather key parts, when the notches are arranged in concerted order. A passage 5 at right angles to the clefts is provided in the lock component for the reception of the locking bolt 4, and at right angles to the bolt passage and intersecting this two long cross passages 6, 7 closed at one end are provided for the reception of the legs of a bow or staplelike member 8, both legs of which are arranged to pass so far down as to close and guard the locking bolt passage 5 from both ends.

The locking bolt a shoots into a recess in one of the legs for locking the padlock, and is arranged to be actuated for looking or release by gravity. For this purpose the looking bolt is fitted to slide under the action of gravity within a sleeve 9 in the bolt passage, the sleeve forming a hollow shaft or spindle for the tumblers and being longitudinally slotted for accommodating keyway fashion the projecting or feather key parts of the locking bolt 4:. The sleeve 9 is preferably provided with means such as lug 10 for guiding and holding it to definite position by coaction with groove 11 at the entering end 12 of the bolt passage 5.

To prevent the bolt 4 from dropping out of the look component when the confining bow or staple 8 is separated from the lock component, the longitudinal slot of the sleeve may be closed or otherwise provided with a stop 13 at one end, and the sleeve may be adapted to be frictionally or otherwise detachably held within the bolt passage 5.

The bolt passage 5 at the other end from which the bolt and sleeve are inserted connects with a smaller passage 14: into which a rod or like may be inserted to eject the bolt and sleeve from the lock component when it is desired to disassemble the lock.

The bolt is limited in its movement to the a shoulder 15 formed adjacent the right hand end of the passage 5.

For setting by the sense of feeling or hearing recesses at the bottom of the clefts may contain spring clicks to snap into depressions arranged round the peripheries of the rotating tumblers, reference to a datum or zero position being obtained by a stop on each tumbler adapted to limit rotation in one direction.

Otherwise if the tumblers are marked with letters or other signs, the click action may be dispensed with.

What I claim is l. A lock, including a casing, a locking bolt within the casing slidalble axially by gravity to looking and unlocking positions, lugs carried by the bolt, stopping means cooperating with the end lugs to limit movement of the locking bolt in either direction, permutation elements cooperating with the lugs to retain the bolt in locked position, and a shackle lockable by said bolt.

2. A lock, including a casing, a bolt slidable axially therein by gravity to locking and unlocking positions, lugs carried by the bolt, a shoulder forming part of the casing limiting by engagement with an endmost lug movement of the bolt in one direction, a sleeve enclosing the bolt, a stop member forming part of the sleeve engaging the other endmost lug to limit movement of the bolt in an opposite direction, permutation elements cooperating with said lugs to retain the bolt in locked position, and a member lockable by said bolt.

3. In a lock, a casing having a passage, a sleeve fitted in said passage, a locking bolt slidable in the sleeve and having lugs, a shackle having its ends fitted in the easin normal to the sleeve and lapping the ends of the sleeve and bolt to prevent withdrawal thereof and having a recess to receive the bolt when the latter is shifted thereinto by tilting the lock, and permutation -tion, and a shoulder forming part of elements cooperating with. the lugs to retain the bolt in locked position.

4:. In a look, a casing having a bolt passage and a recess forming an extension of the passage, a sleeve fitted in the passage, a lug on the sleeve fitting the recess to prevent rotation of the sleeve, said sleeve having an axial slot, a locking bolt 'slidable in the sleeve, lugs on the bolt entering the axial slot preventing rotation of the bolt, permutation elements cooperating with the lugs to retain the bolt in locking position, and a shackle cooperating with the bolt.

5. A look, including a casing having a bolt passage, a sleeve iitted in said passage having an axial slot terminating short of one end to define a stop, a bolt slidable in the sleeve having lugs operating in the slot, the endmost lug cooperating with the stop to limit movement of the bolt in one directhe casing cooperating with the endmost lug to limit movement of the bolt in an opposite direction.

6. A look, including a casing having a longitudinal passage and transverse intersecting clefts, a sleeve inserted in said passage abutting at one end against a shoulder, a lug on the sleeve holding the latter against rotation, said sleevehaving an axial slot terminating short of one end to define a stop, a bolt slidable in the sleeve, lugs on the bolt operating in the slot, said casing having recesses normal to said passage, a U-shaped shackle having a socket in one terminal whereby its terminals may be inserted in the recesses and the bolt received in said socket to lock the shackle, permutation elements inserted in the clefts, rotatably mounted on the sleeve and having notches cooperating with said lugs, and spring pressed detents cooperating with the permu tation elements to releasably retain the latter in adjusted positions.

In testimony whereof, I afiix my signature.

ALESSANDRO VALENTE. 

